Are we jumping to conclusions with the Tampa Bay Rays?

Popular opinion has the Tampa Bay Rays taking a significant step back in 2021. Their current roster and farm system indicate otherwise.

The Tampa Bay Rays have been doing Rays-like things this offseason, offshoring a soon-to-be expensive player, re-stocking their farm system, and prepping their next wave of prospects for vital major league assignments. Charlie Morton signs elsewhere, they trade Blake Snell, and all outsiders assume they’re looking past 2021. Well, maybe it’s the outsiders that shouldn’t look past the 2020 American League Champs come April.

Forget what Tampa Bay lost; look at what they still have. Tyler Glasnow atop the rotation. Diego Castillo, Nick Anderson, John Curtiss, and Pete Fairbanks out of the pen. An offense filled with scrappy, team-first hitters. Oh, and a pack of elite prospects knocking on the door.

Wander Franco, MLB’s top-ranked prospect, is knocking the loudest. Franco missed out on a year of development in 2020, though that’s unlikely to impede the phenom’s eventual Tampa Bay debut in 2021. The Rays will find the right time to promote him, and when that time comes, buckle up!

Their prospect push won’t stop at Franco. Tampa Bay’s #2 and #3 farm talents, Brendan McKay and Luis Patino, are two starting pitchers to watch out for this season.

McKay was selected fourth overall by Tampa in the 2017 MLB draft. He joined the Rays’ staff for a chunk of the 2019 season, compiling a 4.03 FIP, 1.408 WHIP, and 10.3 K/9 rate across 13 appearances. His command wavered throughout; however, his track record as a keen strike-thrower bodes well for the future.

Unfortunately, shoulder surgery on his left throwing arm prevented his 2020 season from happening. The timetable for his return is tentative, though the Rays do intend for him to step into a key role when able in 2021.

Luis Patino was the prized buck for the Tampa Bay Rays when they sent Blake Snell to the San Diego Padres late last month. He sports a lively mid-to-upper 90s fastball along with a wipeout slider that gives right-handed hitters fits. The Padres called his name 11 times last season, over which Patino gathered a 5.16 ERA and struck out 21 in 17.1 innings pitched.

Brent Honeywell, Shane McClanahan, and Josh Fleming are three more young pitchers that could push for rotation spots to start the year. Fleming went 5-0 with a 2.78 ERA for the Rays in 2020, while prospects Honeywell and McClanahan are strong springs away from locking down some form of a role on the major league squad.

There’s also LHP Jalen Beeks and RHP Yonny Chirinos, both of whom are working their way back from season-ending injuries from a year ago, and RHP Michael Wacha, who they signed to a one-year contract this offseason.

As usual, the Tampa Bay Rays have a plethora of capable arms wandering about the organization. If there’s a team that can pinpoint worthy alternatives to Snell and Morton in three months time, it’s them. Pitching may appear to be their biggest concern from an outside perspective, though I doubt that’s the feeling internally.

They’ll curate the best rotation possible to go along with Tyler Glasnow and Ryan Yarbrough. And remember, “rotation” is a loose term for Tampa. Kevin Cash is the most creative manager in baseball when it comes to orchestrating his pitching staff, to the point where it’s practically pointless to categorize any staff member. He’ll tug the right strings to ensure his Rays are in a position to reach the playoffs.

The AL Champs aren’t going anywhere. Many baseball pundits believe 2020’s 60-game season played to Tampa Bay’s advantage more than any other club because they had a supply chain of dominant starters and relievers to engage daily. While that may be true, the reality is they were understaffed.

Five Rays pitchers underwent season-ending injuries last year, spanning Brendan McKay, Yonny Chirinos, Jalen Beeks, Colin Poche, and Andrew Kittredge. Four of those guys should be ready for the start of the season, with McKay the outlier. Meaning Tampa will have a lot more to work with this season than they did in 2020.

Considering that, and the fact that hardly any team in the American League is getting better this offseason, you might come to think the Tampa Bay Rays are in an admirable spot as spring training approaches. To assume they’re “mailing it in” because they traded away one good pitcher is plain silly.